Major League Soccer positional Top Tens: RIGHT BACKS

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There was a time when Major League Soccer fullback play meant there was very little distinction between the league’s best right backs. Whether that was down to talent, tactics, talent acquisition, or the lingering biases from the broader soccer culture, you used to be able to throw the names of MLS’s best backs into a hat and pull an almost indistinguishable, defensively accountable, decent crossing dude out of the lot.

It’s wasn’t that the players weren’t good. It’s that a league with a salary cap that provided limited financial resources forced choices. And those choices highlighted how that position was perceived within the North American game.

Now things are changing. The salary cap’s going up. More athletic players are being groomed into the position. The tactics are changing.

Major League Soccer’s wide defenders are slowly starting to reflect the attacking quality that has defined fullback play across the globe. It’s part of a product that continues to improve.

As with the goalkeepers, there was a wildcard or two which forced us to demur. It’s possible Portland’s Ryan Miller plays his way onto this list in a couple of months, and we’ll have to wait and see how the playing time in New York shakes out.

Until then, here’s how we see Major League Soccer’s Top 10 Right Backs:

1. Vancouver’s Lee Young-Pyo (pictured) >

One year in the league, and the South Korean is a clear number one. It’s no surprise. The South Korean came to BC Place with 127 international notches on his belt. Set to turn 36 in April, we’re yet to see evidence of him slowing down.

A strong 2012 vaulted the aspiring U.S. international to this position, but recovering from a sports hernia injury he played through at the end of last season, the 26-year-old may be hard pressed to duplicate 2012’s form. It’s likely to be a small road bump in a promising career.

4. Sporting Kansas City’s Chance Myers
5. LA Galaxy’s Sean Franklin >

There was a time when Franklin would have been at the top of this list, a status that won him a national team look under the previous administration. Last year, his defending was more problematic than in previous seasons (as Steve Zakuani showed in the playoffs), but if he can return to his former, slightly more stalwart self, the two-time MLS Cup winner could be the second best right back in the league.

This is where the list gets cloudy. Williams, however, has been one of the few reliable parts of a Union team that’s been down-up-down in its first three years. Alston, a former All-Star, still has all the skills, but like much of what we’ve seen from New England, things could be better.

Take your pick between Eckersley and Johansson, and your pick will likely reflect your preferences in fullbacks. Eckersley’s reliable at the back and tries to get forward. Johnsson can provide plus play in attack while trying to hold up his end of the bargain in defense.

Cecilio Dominguez and Mateus Uribe each bagged a brace, and Renato Ibarra also scored as the tournament’s top team sauntered into and out of Costa Rica on Wednesday. Club America has been to seven CCL finals, and one every single one.

West Ham United will pay a visit to Dag & Red as part of the latter’s #SaveTheDaggers campaign, and the March 21 date will cost fans between $7 and $21 to see a top flight side at 6,000-seat Victoria Road.

“So please come on down to the Chigwell Construction Stadium for an additional night of football. Bring a friend, or two, or more and we can use the gate takings to help get us back on track,” reads a press release.

Dag & Red was founded in 1992 and climbed as high as League One in 2011, and plays just 2.5 miles from West Ham United’s training ground. Newcastle’s Matt Ritchie and Dwight Gayle are among Dag & Red alums in the Premier League.

It’s a terrific gesture from West Ham, and is even more impressive in the United States where the growing club game is increasingly cutthroat (especially between non-synced leagues).

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AS Roma manager Eusebio Di Francesco absolutely roasted his charges after i Lupi tossed aside a Cenzig Under-inspired lead to fall 2-1 at Shakhtar Donetsk in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie on Wednesday.

Di Francesco had praise for Edin Dzeko, who assisted Under’s goal, as well as goalkeeper Alisson, but was mostly enraged by his side.

4) “The difference was that in the first half we tried to hurt them while in the second we were looking to hold on – to what? I don’t know.”

— “To what? I don’t know” is hilarious. Di Francesco’s side has posted some serious wins this season, including killing off Chelsea 3-0 at home and coming back from 2-0 to draw the Blues at Stamford Bridge. He doesn’t preach sitting back.

3) “There were far too many schoolboy errors – even by players with a wealth of international experience.”

— Schoolboy errors!

2) “I saw two completely different teams out there today. There were lots of players I should have taken off after we conceded the first goal.”

— Again, one mistake by a number of players on Facundo Ferreyra is enough for Di Francesco. He’s not just happy to be here.

1) “I can’t imagine we’d get arrogant just because we’re winning an important game. It’s not as if Roma are used to reaching the final every year.”

— When you’re willing to essentially rip an entire club’s history — Roma’s been to just two UCL quarterfinals since losing the final to Liverpool in 1984 — you’re putting your footprints in new cement.

Salzburg’s two away goals in a draw feels like a one-goal lead, and the one-goal matches are especially interesting. In the case of Atalanta, 1-0 to the Serie A side could undo Michy Batshuayi‘s first leg heroics for BVB.